Comments

  1. Tethys says

    It’s not dirt, it’s camouflaged to look like dirt. All the good assassins are masters of disguise.

  2. imback says

    From wikipedia: “[Masked hunters] sometimes are found in homes with bed bug infestations. They can generally be controlled by dealing with the bed bug infestation.”

  5. lochaber says

    from everything I’ve read from people who’ve experienced bedbug infestations, I’m pretty sure if you are experience one, you’ll be well aware of it before you find random assassin bug nymphs…

  7. pilgham says

    Third sentence in Wikipedia. “Masked hunters do not feed on human blood, but can sting humans in self-defense when mishandled.” Feed on human blood? Who’s asking whether they feed on human blood? Why are they asking? “Oh, do you have any that do drink blood?” Get a leech!

  8. seachange says

    Was she doing a cleanup of spilled spiderfood, or is she aiming to eat your sweet darlings? Wikipedia says that they eat arthropods, and spiders are arthropods.

  9. phein39 says

    Assassin bugs sting like hornets (ask me how I know), and inject a venom that can leave a little dead zone in your flesh for weeks.

  10. John Morales says

    Geez, thanks PZ and phein39 for letting me learn so much about venoms.
    I’m sensing a pattern.
    (But then, webs are also used for multiple purposes)

    cf. https://biolifejournals.com/pdffiles/cimg182901_EVENGELIN.pdf
    ↓
    VENOMOUS SALIVA OF NON-HAEMATOPHAGOUS REDUVIID BUGS
    (HETEROPTERA: REDUVIIDAE): A REVIEW

    While reduviids are a modestly well characterized group of insects, especially the blood sucking
    triatominae due to the medical implications of the Chagas disease, which is mainly transmitted by
    the infected bugs whose excrement contains Trypanosoma cruzi that enters the body through
    bruises or cuts in the skin of humans, their non-haematophagus counterparts are a forgotten lot and
    have not been thoroughly investigated. The venom in the saliva of the non-haematophagus
    reduviids has come into the spotlight in the last couple of decades due to the voracious predatory
    lifestyle that enable them to be used as biological control agents in subduing pests. But the
    biochemistry of reduviid venom, its action and subsequent effect on the prey, toxicity, enzymes,
    peptides present in the venom and their significance, the role of extra oral digestion facilitated by
    the venom for its predatory lifestyle have not been given much consideration. This review aims to
    summarize the existing body of literature regarding the venomous saliva of non-haematophagous
    reduviid bugs for the first time.
    Key words : reduviid bugs, enzymes, peptides, toxin, venomous saliva

  11. John Morales says

    [ack. fixed here, sorry for the laziness]

    While reduviids are a modestly well-characterized group of insects, especially the blood-sucking triatominae due to the medical implications of Chagas disease — which is mainly transmitted by infected bugs whose excrement contains Trypanosoma cruzi that enters the body through bruises or cuts in the skin of humans — their non-haematophagous counterparts are a forgotten lot and have not been thoroughly investigated.
    The venom in the saliva of the non-haematophagous reduviids has come into the spotlight in the last couple of decades due to their voracious predatory lifestyle, which enables them to be used as biological control agents in subduing pests. But the biochemistry of reduviid venom, its action and subsequent effect on the prey, toxicity, enzymes, peptides present in the venom and their significance, and the role of extra-oral digestion facilitated by the venom for its predatory lifestyle have not been given much consideration.
    This review aims to summarize the existing body of literature regarding the venomous saliva of non-haematophagous reduviid bugs for the first time.
    Key words: reduviid bugs, enzymes, peptides, toxin, venomous saliva

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